Forum home Pregnancy Pregnancy

Measuring small for dates-UPDATE!

Hi,
Sorry if I go on a bit here i'm upset 7 need a bit of a rant!
Went to the hospital this morning for my 34 week scan, my midwife came into the room with 2 other midwifes & proceeded to scan me without informing me that she was training on the machine & not to panic because she wasn't fully aware of what she was doing.

She started the scan and was asking the other midwife loads of questions but no one had told me anything & then she announced the head measurement was 31 weeks so I panicked because i'm 34+2 according to a 4d scan I had at 27 weeks.

Anyway she carried on the scan & told me at one point that I was looking at the heartbeat when actually it was the baby having hiccups!
They looked at my placenta which is anterior & noted white spots on it so jumped on me for smoking which I no longer do & haven't done for about 4 months now!
I was really upset at this point but trying not to cry so my midwife (the one without the clue as to how to scan) said we'll bring you back in 2 weeks for another scan & a CTG- I asked was I not going to be told the weight they approximated the baby to be & she said oh well we're not too sure.
Anyway the other woman who seemed to be a supervisory sort said she wasnt happy so she asked did I mind being scanned again now & she would re-take the measurements which she did & the baby seemed to be about 2 weeks out as opposed to the original 3 but it was still small only about 4lb where they thought it would've been about 5lb by now if not more.

I was told to leave work (I was due to finish next friday) and to rest up as much as I can & they would see me in 2 weeks so I left the hospital feeling very anxious & a bit weepy.

About an hour later my mobile rang & it was my midwife to say she wasn't happy with me waiting 2 weeks & so she's made an appointment for me to go for a more detailed scan on Monday afternoon.
I know i'm thinking worst case scenario & that premmie babies can thrive now but I just feel really upset & like this is all my fault. My OH is having a disaster in work today (he owns his own business) and he's running around like a headless chicken & my Mum is away with work so i'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself!

Sorry for the length of this post & thank you for taking the time to read it, writing it has made me feel a bit more relieved.
Lauren xxxx
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey everyone,

First of all thank you for all of the replies they put my mind at ease.

Had another scan today with the consultant who first of all asked me why the MW had changed my due date from my original 12 week scan after I had my 20 week & so she changed me back to 30th March as I had said I was scared of going over & not knowing which date I was going over by as there are 4 different EDD's in my notes!!!!

Anyway she scanned me & agreed that the baby is measuring 3 weeks out by the head measurement & is under average weight for the dates. Said that it could be the head isn't symmetrical but this is something they won't know until baby is born.
My placenta is starting to calcify which usually only happens in people who smoke (I did smoke for first 3 months as didn't know I was expecting) so they are going to monitor this as well but she doesn't think it is anything to do with the placenta & said that there's plenty of fluid around the baby & my blood pressure & protein aren't cause for concern so all in all she's not too worried.

Changed my care from MW led care to Consultant care & I return in 2 weeks for another scan when they will decide if the baby will thrive better outside of the womb but by that stage I will be 37+1 so it's not too early.
Was told again to monitor the baby's movements & if I have any queries regarding them then to phone the hospital & go up for a scan but hopefully Junior will keep on kicking me in the ribs- never thought i'd be pleased to feel it but I am!

Feel very relieved that I saw someone who took the time to go through things with me & appreciated why I was so concerned & also glad to have had a 2nd opinion (and incidentally 3rd as the consultant I saw checked with the senior consultant too) after Friday's episode. Was also told I won't be allowed to go over my due date so in the next 4-5 weeks baby will definitely be here!

This has really re-iterated to me that these people are caring for my baby & for me & I would just like to make sure that if anyone feels concerned about things they may experience when at appointments or they read in their notes to ask the MW or doctor next time they see them because you could be worrying for a reason.

Take care,
Lauren (35+1) xoxo


[Modified by: misslauri86 on 25 February 2008 19:52:19 ]

Replies

  • So sorry for the way ur been treated by ur mw. Dnt ever blame ur self for any of this tho, if there is a prob with baby and it is small its not because of anything that uve dun. I know its hard but try not to worry hun, just relax and monday will soon come around and im sure everything will be fine. Kerry xxx
  • hi thats terrible what youve had to go thru, it is just a conveyor belt of pregnant woman at hospitals, sometimes i think they forget your feelings can be affected.

    about being small for dates, i went thru the same as you last time with my daughter who is now 3. about your time i was sent for many scans and they worried me to death about it so i know exactly how you feel. i was given a scan 2 days before being induced at 10 days over and was told baby would be just about 5lbs so it was classed as ok to go ahead with induction...she was born 2 days later at 7lb2oz!! so please dont worry, they are not always right.

    i had a small bump and every new mwife or consultant i saw rushed me away for scan etc.

    at first their concern with me was that the placenta wasnt working properly in which case they would give me a c-sec to get the baby out to feed, but it wasnt thought of as a major thing as i was around 34 weeks too, but placenta was fine, so it was ok.

    please try not to worry, they willl just want to make double sure everything is ok and you are very ner fullterm too which is a good thing. the baby would only be slightly ealry so thats not seen as a prob, take care and let us know how you get on x


    http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/d/1;19;29/st/20080523/dt/5/k/1ec5/preg.png


  • hi i also measured small for dates, towards the end was measuring 3-4 weeks smaller and told to expect a baby weighing about 6lb 6oz, well she was 9 days late and weighted 7lb 9oz- not what i call small! try not to worry but i know it is easier said than done. x
  • Hi,
    Thanks for all the replies it's good knowing there are others out there who have been through a similar thing. I was 5lb 9oz when I was born so i'm not altogether concerned about the baby being small it was really the way the MW was acting I just wanted her away from me! Thankfully I will be seeing someone else come Monday so i'm not worrying just taking it easy as they have told me to because I know the stress is no good for the baby.

    Thanks again & I will let you know how I get on on Monday
    Lauren xo
  • do they class 6lb as being small now?? me and my sister were both 6lb when we were born and i am quite small and slim and i have to have a extra scan at 34 weeks to check babys growth. midwife said she thinks i will have a tiny baby! i would love one at 6lb! i use to think that was average but now average is more 9lb!!! ia had a trainee midwife do my 12 week scan but they did tell me! she couldn't measure baby becos it was moving so much so the midwife did it for her and did it straight away but i didn't mind the trainee one trying as i got to see the baby for ages as she was taking so long!! it is not nice though when they don't tell what they're doing! i'm sure ur baby is fine!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Hi I had this throughout my last preg, and I was told baby too small and had to have steriod injections at 28 weeks as thought would be prem, well the long and short is that my baby was two weeks late, had to be induced and weighed 8lb 1oz, they said on my scans only going to be 5-6lb. I had four weekly scans and they all said this but my baby was and is fine, try not to worry, although I know first hand that iys easier said than done, good luck with scan and let us know how you get on. Kelly
  • Hi i had this with my first baby and am going through it again with my second i had extra scans with my first and they worried me sick saying they were going to induce me every other week, anyway to cut a long story short i had a scan at 37weeks and they stated that she was 6lb6oz then so had caught up (after saying id be lucky to have a 4lb baby) i then went to 42 weeks and went into labour the night before i was due to be induced my daughter arrived 24hours later weighing 5lb14oz so was small(er) than at 37 weeks but was perfectly healthy and we went home the following day. I have again been having scans again this time as baby girl is measuring small again so they are scanning every 3 to 4 weeks i'm not concerned as my midwife stated last time some women are just designed to have smaller babies, and i know in the days when i was born 5lb was a really good weight the only reason they say that is small now is because the national average has risen so much so i really wouldnt worry too much im sure everything will be fine Good Luck with the rest of your pregnancy Sophie 30+5 xx
    http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/p/dev119pp___.png

  • Hi, try not to worry hun. I was told that I was 'small for dates' and sent for an extra scan with my second. He was fine and was born at 38 weeks weighing 6lb 2oz. With my third my mw just kept telling me that I was very 'neat'. No mention of being small, no extra scans. My daughter was born at 39weeks weighing 5lb 13oz. No body seemed worried about their size, they scored really well on their apgar, and they had no problems at all. Im only 5' 4" tall and am a size 8. My partner is not much taller at 5' 9". Even my mw said I wouldnt be having big babies. If you are small and slight, you wont have a big baby. So dont worry about all this 'small' talk!

    As for them not explaining about the training, that is disgusting. With my daughters 20 week scan, I had a sonogropher who had been away for a while and was re-training. She explained all that before the scan and asked if I was happy to proceed. She gave me a very detailed scan and at the end she got the senior sono in to re check all the measurements. They were very professional and explained everything. I think you should consider complaining about your treatment. They treated you like a piece of meat and made you worry. That is unforgiveable. Good luck hun xx
  • Hi,try not to worry.I was small for dates with my 1st.It wasn't picked up till 36 weeks.I kept being told I would never have a 7.5lb baby.At 4ft11 I didn't want a big baby.My son was born at 39 weeks(induced) weighing 5lb 3.5oz and was fine.I had extra scans with my 2nd (7lb 2oz!) and 3rd (6lb 11oz).So I'm wondering what size number 4 will be.As already said, if you are not big yourself mother nature isn't going to let you have a big baby.I would complain about your treatment.You have enough to think about while pregnant without any added extra stress.I'm sure all is well and your baby will be fine.Thinking of you xx Juliexx
  • Hey everyone,

    First of all thank you for all of the replies they put my mind at ease.

    Had another scan today with the consultant who first of all asked me why the MW had changed my due date from my original 12 week scan after I had my 20 week & so she changed me back to 30th March as I had said I was scared of going over & not knowing which date I was going over by as there are 4 different EDD's in my notes!!!!

    Anyway she scanned me & agreed that the baby is measuring 3 weeks out by the head measurement & is under average weight for the dates. Said that it could be the head isn't symmetrical but this is something they won't know until baby is born.
    My placenta is starting to calcify which usually only happens in people who smoke (I did smoke for first 3 months as didn't know I was expecting) so they are going to monitor this as well but she doesn't think it is anything to do with the placenta & said that there's plenty of fluid around the baby & my blood pressure & protein aren't cause for concern so all in all she's not too worried.

    Changed my care from MW led care to Consultant care & I return in 2 weeks for another scan when they will decide if the baby will thrive better outside of the womb but by that stage I will be 37+1 so it's not too early.
    Was told again to monitor the baby's movements & if I have any queries regarding them then to phone the hospital & go up for a scan but hopefully Junior will keep on kicking me in the ribs- never thought i'd be pleased to feel it but I am!

    Feel very relieved that I saw someone who took the time to go through things with me & appreciated why I was so concerned & also glad to have had a 2nd opinion (and incidentally 3rd as the consultant I saw checked with the senior consultant too) after Friday's episode. Was also told I won't be allowed to go over my due date so in the next 4-5 weeks baby will definitely be here!

    This has really re-iterated to me that these people are caring for my baby & for me & I would just like to make sure that if anyone feels concerned about things they may experience when at appointments or they read in their notes to ask the MW or doctor next time they see them because you could be worrying for a reason.

    Take care,
    Lauren (35+1) xoxo
Sign In or Register to comment.

Featured Discussions